


Sweet as Candy

by AkumaStrife



Category: Batman (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Domestic, F/M, Halloween, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-01
Updated: 2013-11-01
Packaged: 2017-12-31 04:02:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1027013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkumaStrife/pseuds/AkumaStrife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason hasn't celebrated Halloween since before he died, so it's not a stretch that he'd forget all about it. Which is fine, he's got more important things to do. But try telling that to the costumed kids at their front door.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweet as Candy

There was a determined knock at the door. 

Roy reached for his bow and Jason jumped to his feet, hand on his gun. They shared a look and Roy nodded, moving behind the couch as Jason silently crept across the room and peeked through the hole, but there didn’t appear to be anyone there. 

“If this is some sort of prank…” Jason muttered under his breath. He yanked the door open. 

“TRICK OR TREAT!”

He stared down at the group of two young children and what must be their older sister, all donned in costumes. 

“We don’t have any—“

“Well aren’t you all just the cutest,” Roy said, draping himself over Jason’s shoulder and smiling at them. 

They beamed back, holding up their bags. 

“I like your costume, Mister,” the mini Wonder Woman said. “The Red Hood’s super cool! Sissy says he keeps our neighborhood really safe!” The older girl flushed and tried to shush her.

Roy tilted his head to grin at Jason. “You hear that, Jay? They like your costume.”

Jason rolled his eyes and shrugged him off. “One second, kids.” 

As Jason went into the kitchen to look for something to give them, Roy crouched down to their level, grinning at the littlest girl in a batman costume, complete with a yellow tutu and fluffy bat hair-clips. “I’ve never met the Batman, but I’m pretty sure you give him a run for his money.”

She glared behind her mask and fisted her small hands on her hips. “I’m Princess Batman!”

Jason came back and nudged him aside to slide three soda cans into their bags. “Which is way better, if you ask me. Batman could use a little color in his wardrobe.”

The little girl nodded vigorously, and the older sister shuffled them down the apartment stairs. “Thanks, Happy Halloween.”

“You stay safe, okay?” Jason called after her, and she smiled. 

Koriand’r was up in his space the moment the door closed. “Why did you not tell me about this joyous human custom? May I go ask for candy as well, or is that only for children?”

“Just the kids, sorry Kori,” Roy said. 

“Of course. But I shall dress up anyways, for it is a holiday and we should always take time to celebrate the times we have together!” She darted into their bedroom before Roy could point out that they didn’t really  _own_ anything that could really be a costume. Besides their own vigilante personas obviously, but that wasn’t any fun.

“What I want to know is how the hell they found the safe house,” Jason said.

Roy shrugged, settling down in the couch and reaching for an apple slice. His earlier attempt at caramel apples had been a disaster, but they were still pretty damn tasty. “It’s not as hidden as the last one, I thought we were supposed to “blend in” this time around? Besides, kids can smell this kind of stuff. If a light is on, they knew we have to give them something.”

Before Jason could respond there was another knock at the door. He raised an eyebrow as Roy pulled the door open, cooing over the kids’ costumes. Jason went to get the last of the sodas. 

By the time the fourth group came along, Roy had to wrestle Jason for his wallet to hand out dollar bills. The kids got a particular kick out of that. 

Roy pulled on his jacket, tugging a cap low over his eyes. “I’ll go get some candy. It’s Halloween, we can’t just turn them away.”

“Whatever, this is all on you. I didn’t want any part of this to begin with.”

It was only after fifteen minutes of some campy black and white horror flick that he realized Roy took his wallet with him. 

The next time there was a knock on the door he was hellbent on ignoring it, but Koriand’r came tearing out of the back of the apartment, face lit up and pulling a triangular piece of fabric over her wide smile. “Allow me!”

She threw open the door and her hair began to glow at the chorus of trick-or-treaters. Jason leaned over the back of the couch, trying to figure out  _what_ exactly she was, as she patted heads and handed out… where those hot wheels?

Was she…  _giving away_   _his old hot wheels?_  

“What the fuck!”

A couple of the children gasped and Koriand’r gasped theatrically with them. “Jason! There are little ears present! You must now put a dollar in the swear jar.”

Jason’s anger flagged in the wake of confusion. “We don’t have…”

She smiled at the kids. “Well, we seem to have six right here.” They giggled behind their hands and bags. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“You better listen, Mister,” a small knight said. “Or she might throw you in jail.”

“Jail? What?” Jason pushed himself to his feet anyways, grumbling as he fished through the couch cushions for Roy’s wallet—they were gonna go broke before the night was over at this rate. He exchanged a dollar for his hot wheels, unapologetically pulling them back out of their bags. 

He got a good look at Koriand’r and couldn’t help an amused snort. She wore several layers of Roy’s and his flannels, dark jeans, and cut up one his black undershirts to make a bandana. She’d helped herself to one of his thigh holsters and spare pistols, and pinned a large paper star to her shirt. 

She looked really happy. 

“So there’s a new sheriff in town?” he asked, glancing down at the kids with a small smile and cocked eyebrow. “Well, Ms. Sheriff, if you haven’t heard, I don’t get on so well with the law.”

She stepped back into a defensive pose. “Do not try any funny business, Red Hood.”

He winked at the kids and then launched himself at her. They gasped and called out warnings to her. Kori’s eyes glowed bright green as she dodged his attack, flipped him over her shoulder, and slammed him to the ground. She slapped a pair of cuffs on him and stood, pulling down the bandana and wishing the kids a happy halloween, boot propped up on Jason. 

“You’re digging your heel into my ass,” he mumbled into the carpet once they were gone.

Koriand’r clapped her hands in delight and laughed, planting a kiss on the back of his neck before freeing him. “What a fun holiday!” 

“Did you have to throw me so hard?” Jason groaned as he rolled onto his back. ”And those are my boots.”

“Yes, and they are very pretty. I do not know why you’d keep them in the back of the closet.” She marveled over the red cowboy boots, the ones Jason had worn many years ago when they’d actually been in style, and cringed to look at now. 

* * *

“Sorry, it took me so long,” Roy said, tramping through the front door, laden with bags. “I had to make a couple extra stops.”

Jason jumped off the couch. “Perfect timing. Kori’s discovered horror movies.”

Roy violently flinched and hurried into the kitchen. “Nope, nope, not tonight. That is just asking for trouble. There are  _rules_  for Halloween! No seances, no Ouija boards, et cetera!” He rummaged through their meager cupboards and came up with an oversized colander.

Jason leaned against the counter and watched Roy open bags and mix the various candy in the bowl. He slipped a pack of cigarettes and his lighter in his jacket pocket. “Are you seriously supposed to be Robin Hood?”

Roy grinned, looking far too pleased with himself. “I broke into Uncle Ollie’s on the way back. He may only have half a suit now…”

“Jason,” Koriand’r called. “Why do these people not  _leave_ the house if it is truly haunted?”

“Because they’re dumb white people!” Roy shouted back. “Who don’t know how to keep it in their pants when there’s murderers running around.”

“But what does that have to do with…”

“Don’t worry about it, Princess. Just enjoy it for what it is.” Jason rolled his eyes and grabbed a case of beer from the fridge. “Roy and I are going to deal with the kiddies so you can enjoy your movie. Shout if you need us.”

“Cowards.” 

“Damn right,” he said, and followed Roy out to settle at the top of the porch steps. It was a nice night, considering. The sky was clear and the moon full, kids laughing and shrieking in all directions. He lit a cigarette as Roy dealt with a couple of animals and a Sailor Moon. 

“My mama says smokin’s bad for ya,” the lion said, disapproving.

“I’m trying to stay in character,” Jason said. 

He nodded, as if that was a perfectly viable reason. “Oh, well then I guess it’s alright.”

Jason nodded solemnly back. “Glad we see eye-to-eye.”

They were cleaned out within the hour, traumatizing a few gladiators and valkyeries in the process when Roy leaned in for a kiss and Jason got a little too handsy. When they went in, leaving their empty beer bottles on the steps with the ash tray but colander in hand, Kori was still awake. 

“Jesus, you’re still watching this stuff?” Jason asked. 

“I’ve started something called Saw, I believe. It is very invigorating.”

“Why don’t you come to bed, it’s getting late,” he said, grinning wickedly, his offer punctuated with Roy’s hitching gasp as his hand slid into his pants. 

Koriand’r glanced at them, smiling warmly, but just as easily turned back to the TV. “I am tempted, but would really like to finish watching this. I have a lot of Halloween to catch up on.”

“Your loss,” Jason said and tugged Roy by his belt loops down the short hall. 

The next morning they found Kori passed out on the couch, the TV still playing the flickering menu of the last movie she watched. 

Roy made pumpkin pancakes while Jason braved the chilly morning air to get the over-priced and overly sweet coffee Koriand’r liked, and got some for himself and Roy while he was at it. What the hell, it was the holiday season.

Before he came back, while Roy flipped bacon and Koriand’r set their rather small table, Roy made a thoughtful noise and said, “I bet if we bribe him, we can convince Jay to make us a pile of leaves to roll in.”

Koriand’r snapped her head up so fast it hurt Roy to watch, her bright green eyes widening. “You can  _do_ that?”


End file.
